Inspiration doesn't come cheap
by iceprincess345
Summary: A trip to the woods to get inspired. That's it. However, Ally Dawson had not even the faintest idea of just how upside down that single trip would make her life. Because that's where she met him. Her one and only. Not that she knew it then. Another thing she didn't know: Inspiration doesn't come cheap.
1. The beginning of a new adventure

The rain was pouring down fast, now. At first it had only been a slight drizzle and she had actually enjoyed it . It provided relief from the hot May weather. But, then, she thought with dismay, May was known for its unexpected showers. Now, there she was, walking in the middle of the woods, her back pack on her back, her once perfectly dry hair falling on her face, on a trip that had been meant for enjoyment and relaxation, not for getting soaked in the rain. Her cell phone battery was almost dead. This, however, did not concern her. Her father was out of town, her best friend Trish del a Rosa knew about her plans and was aware of the fact that she wouldn't be able to get in touch with her for the weekend. She kicked at a tree stump in frustration and immediately regretted doing so. Great, she thought wincing, now a sour foot to accompany all my other misfortunes to make this day even more worse.

Not that the day had started bad. It was just the beginning of the glorious summer holidays, which meant no waking up early in the morning, no cranky teachers to put up with, no school work. Not that she didn't enjoy school work. No, Ally Dawson was certainly not the kind of teenager to despise learning. In fact, she loved it. "You're abnormal", Trish would often say. But that would only make Ally start ranting about the importance of education in life. Anyways, Ally had decided to spend the first weekend of her holidays camping in the woods.

She had looked forward to sitting under the blue sky, eating pickles, listening to the soothing sounds of birds chirping and watching the mesmerizing sunset. Nothing inspired her more than watching the sunset.

And, inspiration was something she was in dire need of lately. Ally was a songwriter, a brilliant one, too. The words came to her almost effortlessly. She had had never had any trouble writing songs before , until just recently. And, this scared her. Ally considered herself a songwriter. It was her identity, who she her stage fright, it was all she had. So, she decided that in order to gain inspiration for her creative juices to start flowing again, she needed to bond with mother nature and camp out in the woods. Trish, however, thought differently. "Come on, Ally. You don't need all that only thing you need right now is love. ", she had said. Ally had only rolled her eyes at her. Trish was always stressing on the importance of love and had been trying to get Ally a boyfriend. Not that Ally needed any help. Putting it simply, she was beautiful. She didn't need makeup to make her look pretty. With her petite figure, curly brown hair and fair complexion, she was what you'd call a natural beauty, the kind which girls spend hours trying to impersonate.

But dating never seemed to work with her. All the boys she had dated never made her feel anything special. She had dreamt of her Prince Charming, sweeping her off her feet and then both of them riding out into the sunset. But it never happened, and she eventually gave up on finding her one and only.

Back in the woods, Ally dropped her safari bag containing her one -person tent, sleeping bag, clothes, food, bug spray and song book, on a fallen tree nearby and sat down herself. She was regretting her decision of wearing shorts and a half sleeved t -shirt. Though the outfit had looked cute before, it was now making her feel cold. Who was she hoping to impress anyway? The trees?

So much for inspiration, she thought bitterly. "Rain, rain, go away. Don't make me wanna cry away. Little Ally wants to play. Rain, rain, go away.", Ally found herself singing out loud. "Not a rain person, then, huh?", a voice full of humor, startled her, causing her to scream and clutch at her heart and fall off the log.

Turing around, she located the owner of the voice. A cute-_handsome_ - and oddly familiar blond boy, about her age, was watching her with an amused expression on his face. "Who are you?" she asked, a little rudely. "Oh, sorry. I guess I should've made my presence known before scaring you like that.", he said sheepishly. "Hey, I wasn't scared, I was just…surprised.", Ally replied lamely. The boy obviously didn't believe her. "Well, that's a mild way of putting it, but, seriously, you were scared out of your wits." On seeing the expression on Ally's face, he quickly added,"And, I'm Austin. Austin Moon."


	2. Meeting him in the woods

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan-fics. I'd be writing the real thing.**

Austin Moon. There it was again. That feeling. Even his name sounded familiar. She strained hard, trying to remember. Do you know that feeling, that irritating feeling, when you're trying to remember something that you once knew like the back of your hand but now can't. It was the same with Ally. It felt like the answer lied at the back of her head but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She studied his face for a moment. His hazel eyes were twinkling with child-like humor. And, boy, were his eyes dreamy.…..

"Have we met before?" the question was out of her mouth before she knew it. Her question surprised him, she could see that. Maybe he was thinking along the same lines, Ally thought. Or maybe _you_ are going cray-cray, trying to remember how you met a stranger you obviously just met today, a voice in her head said. Ally was brought back to reality when Austin replied, "I highly doubt that, seeing that my family just moved to Miami last week and I haven't even attended the high school here, yet. But-"Ally's heart seemed to race faster for some reason, "-but I do know who you are-"Ally's heart definitely started beating faster.

"Little Ally, right?" Austin finished slyly. Her heart beat returned to normal, a bit disappointed that all that fast beating went for nothing. "Actually, I prefer just Ally." she retorted, blushing as she remembered her ridiculous composition. Suddenly, becoming aware of the fact that she was talking to a complete (semi- I still think we've met before, Ally thought) stranger in the middle of the woods, she added, "I think I should get going." "Yeah, me too. Lucky for you, the rain's stopped." Austin remarked. The rain indeed had stopped. Ally had been so lost in her own train of thought that she hadn't noticed this before. Maybe my song did make the rain go away, she thought smugly.

"Maybe your song did make the rain go away." Ally found her exact thoughts being voiced by the blond in front of her. "Yeah, it seems so.", Ally responded, smiling at Austin for the first time during their entire conversation. If only she knew what effect it would have on him.

Austin was left speechless on seeing Ally's smile. Not only because it was so dazzling and he was so charmed by its beauty that it left him breathless (although it was a big part of the reason), but also because it reminded him of someone. Who that someone was, Austin couldn't figure out, though. It was as if he knew the answer, but couldn't quite put his finger on it….

"Austin?", Ally asked, unsure why he looked so amazed. "Is everything OK?" "Yeah, um….i was just thinking about your rain song." On seeing Ally blush, he added," Hey, it was pretty catchy, even though a bit unoriginal.", he said laughing.

By now, Ally was the one having difficulty breathing. She had no idea why his laugh made butterflies erupt in her stomach. She never felt like this, unless she was sick. Maybe I'm coming down with something, she thought fervently. Or, maybe you have a crush on Mr. Blond Beauty here, the voice in her head said slyly. She was really starting to loathe that voice.

"Well, bye, then.", Ally said hastily, picking up her bag. "Yeah, umm…..i should be get going too. ", Austin responded. As Ally was walking away, he suddenly called out to the retreating figure of the brunet, "Maybe we'll run into each other, again". Hope was clearly evident in his tone. Turning back, Ally once again gave him that bewitching smile that made him breathless and replied with a non-committal "Maybe."

* * *

><p>Ally had chosen the ideal campsite. It had a freshwater lake nearby so water would not be an issue. There were enough trees on one side to provide shelter from rain while the other side consisted of soft grass on which a tent could be pitched. Ally and Trish had found this spot when they were in the fifth grade and from then on, it would be their safe haven. Their home away from home. No one but them knew about this spot. They would retreat here during their holidays, away from the rest of the world. Ally felt a pang of disappointment because Trish hadn't been able to come with her since she was out of town that weekend.<p>

As Ally walked towards the campsite, her thoughts were occupied by Austin. She could swear that she knew him. It was like waking up from a dream and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't remember what it was about. It was in the back of her head, in her subconscious, yet…. Why am I even bothering, she thought. It's not like we'll be meeting anytime soon.

If only she knew how wrong she was.

* * *

><p>Austin, on the other hand, was busy thinking about her. There was something about Ally, the way she smiled, that reminded him of someone, a certain someone from his past. If only he could remember who. Apart from this mystery, he found Ally enchanting. He was honestly hoping to run into the brunet sometime soon.<p>

* * *

><p>Ally was quite exhausted by the time she neared the campsite. It hadn't been that long a walk but, with her burden, it had proved to be extremely tiring. It's going to be so much fun, she thought excitedly. It would be bye-bye writer's block, hello hit songs. She was really eager to reach her campsite. Not only because she was tired but also because it had been quite long since had she last camped there. Trish and I are so lucky to have found such a place, she thought happily as the campsite neared. It's perfect.<p>

It appeared as if someone else had had the same thought, too.

For there it was. Another tent pitched exactly where hers should've been. Ally didn't know whether to be more surprised on seeing the tent or on seeing its owner, who arrived from the other side of the woods at the exact same moment. Austin Moon.

And that, my friends, is what we call fate.

**Hello, peeps! I know this chapter isn't great but I promise that the next chapter is going to be better. Hint: There's a major Auslly scene in it. This is my very first fan-fic and I'm seriously quite nervous about it. The grammar isn't perfect, the words are dull and there are countless other faults. But, the idea is quite original. Please give it a shot. And remember, the two R's. READ and REVIEW. I'm all open to constructive criticism and advice.**

**Special thanks to the four lovelies who followed this story and to LoveShipper who took the time to write a review =). I truly appreciate it.**

**Till next time, then!**


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